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Crossfire, Chapter 20
Chapter 20 Connie ran until she reached her cave at the far area of Bloodstone. She stood just outside the enterance and watched the sun set over the endless blue sea. Lance came to her side, nuzzling his mistress with his big white head. Connie looked into his sapphire blue eyes, and for the first time ever, she saw just how wolfy he really was. The blue eyes had wild, dragon-like slits in the middle. He looked up at her whined, sensing her distress. Connie smiled but only barely. "Sometimes it is so easy to tell that your a wolf dog mix, like right now. You have the nobility and grace of a wolf, yet the loyalty and devotion of a great dog. So much split right down the middle Lance. Just like my heart..." Connie felt the weight of her words crack her fragile heart like porceline. How could I have been tricked by that deceitful pirate?! All he ever wanted was to get in my pants, and now, just like every other woman whom had fallen for him before me, he has. I had been such a fool! Why did I care about him to begin with, let alone why was he worth a heartbreak over now? It all was too confusing and it made her head hurt. "But then why did he give up his immortality?" Connie asked aloud to no one. That alone was more than enough to convince her that he was sorry and that what little remained of Victor was still inside of him, waiting to come out again. "He probably was just getting bored with life is all, I mean after almost 300 years, I suppose I would become bored as well." Connie muttered through snivels. But that theory was quickly rejected what she remembered that Reaver had once told her that he had never felt bored with his productive and wild life. Not that Connie had ever completely believed what a cut-throat pirate had to say. "But I did..." The realization hit her hard as she cried some more. "I truly loved him... I thought he loved me too..." It brought double pain to her heart to think about how many times he had probably heard those words uttered. "Leaving the festivities so soon?" The voice of Mr. Dowells rung from around the bend. Connie looked up to the giant, who was accompanied by two other hulking brutes. She instinctively drew her trusty sword. "What do you want?!" She yelled angrily. Mr. Dowells nodded towards the bigger of the two men, and he immediately shot a dart into Lance. Lance growled but then fell on his side, stunned. "Lance! What the hell did you just do to him?!" Mr. Dowles grinned wickedly at the distraught heroine. "He'll be fine. Just a little aid to help him rest. Your lucky that I'm a dog person. Otherwise I would've probably just shot em'." Connie pulled out her pistol and took aim at . But before she could fire, another dart implanted itself in her own neck. Connie yelped at the sudden prick, and misfired her weapon into the cliff face. The world spun and for a moment, Connie felt like she was going to be ill. "...Why?...What do you want with me?" Connie gasped. Mr. Dowells smiled in a way that made her feel very uneasy. "Do you know how long that I've waited for this day? The day that pompous Reaver would fall flat on his arse for some woman? Love always slows people down. Even the Hero of Skill is not immune to its charms." He replied. "I know that you and the other staff are planning a mutiny...I overheard you this morning..." Connie replied weakly. "That information will do you little good now Miss Remswood." He hoisted her up off the ground by the throat and pressed her body up against the cliff face. "From now on, you work for me." He hissed. Connie spat in his eye, which prompted a tighter squeeze on her throat and a sharp punch in the stomach. Her world went spinning again, and she was out cold. Connie awoke in a cellar, her hands in chains and her feet tied up. Lance was howling and pacing next to her in a large iron cage. Connie gave her surroundings a once over. The cellar was bleak and dark, and by the looks of the torture equipment, chains, and cages, Connie gathered that she hadn't been the first person to be held here against their will. She started to wonder what she was even doing there. Bitter tears flooded her eyes. It's all my fault, for falling in love with a heartless brigand like Reaver to begin with. He never loved me, and I was nothing more to him than anyone else had ever been. And now I'm going to pay for my mistake. The cellar door eeked open, and Mr. Dowells came in, a smug look of accomplishment on his face. Connie glared at him. "Why the long face lass? You should be happy that I didn't kill ye." "What good would that do? Your no doubt planning on luring Reaver here, using me as some sort of bait." She shot back. Mr. Dowells spat on the ground before replying. "Reaver ain't comin'. He may love ye, but not enough ta risk his title over. He is the King of the Pirates after all." "So then why am I chained up? If your so smart Mr. Dowells, would you mind explaining the situation a little bit better for me?" Mr. Dowells looked as if he had been waiting for Connie to ask that very question. "Its because yer a hero. We don't need anyone like that in our way." "We?" She asked. "Yeah. This whole thing goes a hell of a lot deeper than a mere landlover like yerself can fathom." "Oh, please. You hated the way he treated you and now that he's gone soft your all after revenge. Complicated indeed." Connie snapped. Mr. Dowells laughed. Connie was beginning to feel a tad uneasy. "Do you still think that this here mutiny is about us being used by Reaver for so long? No. The title of Pirate King is very coveted ye know. I'm just one of many pirates who wants to try and take the bastard down." "Then your not a butler at all?" Mr. Dowells shook his head, then whistled thrice. The older servent, and the two young girls who were Reavers maids entered. They all looked very excited about what Mr. Dowells was talking about. "We're ALL pirates lass. What better way to spy on yer enemy than being in his life constantly? Me and my mates have put up with Reaver for years now and its finally our time to claim the throne. For a real pirate, not a beardless, hatless, parrotless fruit-tart like Reaver. To pirates!" Mr. Dowells cheered. The rest of his makeshift crew raised bottles of beer and shouted. "To pirates!" Connie rolled her eyes. "Ok, what do I have to do with this then?" Mr. Dowells leaned closer to her until Connie could practically taste the beer on his lips. "I'm not Mr. Dowells anymore. My real name is Captain Slash and ye best be rememberin' it lass." Connie glared at him. "Where's Reaver? What are you going to do to him?" She called out in such a worried way that she surprised herself. Slash just laughed. "Don't ye worry about it. Business will transpire and after I am crowned the next pirate king, then you can leave this charming little abode. But until then, shut it. If it means that much to you I'll be sure to let your precious rogue captain knows that he was on your mind, right before I slaughter him. Have a good evening m'lady." Slash gave her a mocking bow and then scampered off with the other pirates out the cellar door. Connie looked over at Lance. "This is really bad boy." Lance whined. "Connie!" Reaver's voice called out from around the corner. Connie looked up and to the left. She was still angry with Reaver, but happy that he was here to save her as well. "Reaver!? Be quiet, they'll hear you!" He nodded and then fetched a lock pick from his black satchel. He quickly and professionally undid the locks that held her arms. Connie freed herself and then unlocked the cage for Lance. "Thanks, come on Lance." She picked up her sword and pistol from the gravel floor and turned to leave the cellar, paying Reaver no heed. "Connie, let me explain, please..." Connie looked directly into his eyes, feeling no shame in letting him see the pain and tears that he had caused her. Reaver stopped short and a look of pain ignited in his own face. "Oh, Connie...I'm so sorry, I didn't want you to have to ever feel this way, please, let me-" He reached out to her, but Connie slapped him hard upside the cheek. A fresh stream of hot tears poured down her face as she looked down on him, shooting daggers. "What is there to explain?! I was just another pawn in your sick game. You never loved me, just like you never loved anyone else. Not even Cammeilia!" "That is NOT true! I admit that I never truly loved all my sweet little whores and princesses I have had throughout the years, but to say that you actually think that you and Cammeilia never ment anything to me..." His eyes grew very dark. "...You are very badly mistaken..." Connie started to draw her pistol. "Oh, really? Then why did Clammy Claude say that the letter he gave me was fake? Explain that. He's your old chum Reaver! Did you two work out some sort of plan to help get you into my pants?" She screamed. Reaver took a step closer, holding his hands up. "No Connie. That was not what he was trying to do. As I asked before, let me explain." Connie sat down on an old barrel, but still held her pistol aimed at his heart. "Ok. Five minutes, that's all you have to explain, so make it good." She clicked the hammer in place. Reaver looked around anxiously, which was quite rare for him. "Do you really think that here and now would be the correct place and time?" "Yes. You got us into this mess to begin with, and if you don't hurry up soon, I'll kill the pirate king myself!" Connie relied sharply. Reaver sighed and then began to speak. "Ever since the day that I first saw you waltz into my mansion, a vision of red and gold, I have felt something tugging at my heart. I didn't know what it was, and so at first I ignored it and it seemed to go away. But when I saw you again, after a year at sea, it came back, and strong. I knew that you despised me, but I was in love with you. I am in love with you Connie. But I also knew that you would never give me a chance to show you such love. So I trusted Clammy Claude to take you the letter. I thought if you read it, and you knew the real me, than you would...care for me..." His voice was sweet and boyish, but Connie wasn't buying it. "Why didn't you just tell me who you really were?" She asked angrily. Reaver took a step closer. "Because after what I had previously done to you, I knew you wouldn't buy it for what it really was. You would just assume, as you so brilliantly put it, that I was just trying to get into your pants. By the way, I'll have you know that when I want to get into a woman, or a mans pants, I do not resort to pity. That is THE most poor and inexperienced of ways to go about such a tactical situation. I feel that should say the same about those who use said technique, don't you?" "That's a very bad thing to do." Connie answered. "Do you know why I came here, to save you at the risk of my own life?" Reaver asked her. "No, and I really wished that you hadn't. They could come back any moment and if they see me free and talking to you, they'll kill me too." She snapped. "They where going to kill you no matter what Connie. That's just what pirates do." Reaver said. "Yeah, and you wrote the book on that." She hissed. Suddenly, the heavy footsteps overhead warned the two that at least one of the pirates was there. Reaver grabbed Connie's wrist and looked her dead in the eyes. "Connie, if you never love me again, if you hate me forever, even if you kill me, really I deserve far worse. But I need to get you out of here right now, or yet another innocent person is going to die because of me. Now lets go!" Reaver pulled her onward and broke through the cellar door, greeting the pirate guarding it by surprise. Before the guard could even react, Reaver planted a bullet into his head. They then rushed out of that house as quickly as humanly possible. Down to the docks they ran, until Connie and Reaver came upon Reaver's ship, the Reaver II. Reaver kept his Dragonstomper .48 ready and then yelled to his heroine. "Get onboard! Now!" Connie pulled her hand free and drew her pistol again. "No Reaver!" "Connie, you misunderstood dear one. Clammy Claude deals in forgeries. He's not the brightest gem in the treasure chest, but he's the only one that I could trust with this task. However, he also has an awful habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. At the party, he was merely making conversation. And while most of his errands for me require fake documents, the letter that I gave him to take to you was indeed the real thing." "Times almost up Reaver, make this quick." Reaver brought his own pistol up quick and shot her pistol from my hand again. "W-what?!" Connie shouted in disbelief. Reaver smiles wolfishly. "Thought you might have grown accustomed to that little trick of mine by now." He mused. Connie brandished her sword. "I may have changed, but I still don't like to be threatened, especially when I am innocent of the crime that you would say that I committed. This isn't the Dark Ages Connie, I do belive that I deserve a fair trial." "Actually, it IS the Dark Ages, and no. You don't deserve anything fair. You deserve to die!" The blood lust shined in her eyes as she brought her sword up to slash his head off. BANG! The sword flew from her hands and into the grip of the blue sea. Reaver stood, his Dragonstomper .48 still smoking. He casually blew the remaining smoke away and then his green eyes advanced dangerously into blue. "I WILL have you hear me out Connie, even if you kill me, I refuse to die before telling you the truth. Now pardon the profanity my love, but get your arse on the ship NOW!" Reaver commanded her. Connie grumbled and looked once more at the pirate who had so easily made the young heroine look like a joke. Then she climbed aboard the Reaver II ''and sat down, defeated for the moment. Connie eyed Lance, who was watching Reaver warily. "Ok. Tell me your lie then Reaver. I'm listening." Reaver smirked. "That's another thing I love about you darling, such a hard shell to crack." Connie frowned. "I'm not a peanut, and I'm not your darling." Reaver looked away and again, began to speak. " I'll tell you as we sail. Tatty-bye Bloodstone. I shall not miss thee!" Reaver called out to the seaside town. "As I told you, the letter was real, I gave it to Claude to deliver to you at your place of work so that you, curious about its contents, would come and want get to know me better, and I you. A sort of date invite one could say. Yes, I didn't treat it as a date initially, because you had so rudely brought up that little thing about me being a killer. It hurt Connie. So I conked you over the head and kidnapped you to be my maid instead. Fate sort of took it upon herself to fill in the rest." The ship pulled free of the Bloodstone harbor. "I don't blame you for being upset with me Connie, I know that you probably will never love me again, but I want to tell you that the letter was very, very real. Please, you have to belive to me. I love you!" Reaver pleaded. Connie turned away from him. "Why should I?! You kidnapped me, you tricked me. And now your kidnapping me again! So what if I hurt your precious "feelings?" Did it ever occur to you that maybe you deserve to be hurt?" Connie yelled at him. Reaver glared at her. ''I just saved her life and she has the nerve to say THAT to me?! ''He raised his hand to her angrily, but then his face softened into a look that she had never seen before, as the realization of her words hit home. "You know what Connie? Your absolutely right." Connie looked up at him, confused. "What?!" She stared at him. Reaver looked out to where Wraithmarsh was. "Why did I ever think that I would ever be truly happy again?" Reaver spoke quietly to himself. In a spontaneous rage, he grabbed his white shirt with his nails until Connie saw crimson forming on it. Blood. "Reaver? Are you ok?" Connie asked him, concerned. Reaver sighed deeply and then looked to her in self pity. "Yes. I'm fine..." He held his head in pain. Connie felt her anger towards him dissipate and she looked at the blackened kissmark that she had given him earlier in the Shadow Court. Hours passed, and neither spoke a word. Lance plopped down upon the wooden planks of the ''Reaver II and fell asleep despite the tossing and turning of the open ocean. Reaver looked up at the night sky, ablaze with twinkling stars. Connie finally spoke. "Reaver? Are you going to be ok?" She asked him, growing visibly concerned. "Just leave me alone, I'm going to bed..." Reaver sighed and then headed down into his master suite without another word.